Fix Weak Password Policies in Laravel: A Comprehensive Guide

In today’s digital landscape, weak password policies are a significant threat to application security. Laravel, being a robust PHP framework, offers tools and methods to enforce strong password policies. In this blog, we will explore how to tackle weak password policies in Laravel, including practical coding examples.

Plus, learn how to use our free Website Security Scanner tool to ensure your website is safe.

What Are Weak Password Policies?

Weak password policies allow users to create passwords that are easy to guess, such as short passwords, common phrases, or lack of complexity. Such vulnerabilities can lead to unauthorized access, data breaches, and loss of user trust.

Example of Weak Password Policy

Here’s a basic example of a Laravel application with weak password policies:

// In User model
protected $fillable = [
    'name',
    'email',
    'password',
];
 
// Registration Controller
public function register(Request $request) {
    $validatedData = $request->validate([
        'email' => 'required|email',
        'password' => 'required|min:4', // Weak policy: password only 4 characters
    ]);

    User::create([
        'email' => $validatedData['email'],
        'password' => bcrypt($validatedData['password']),
    ]);
    return response()->json(['message' => 'User registered successfully!']);
}

The minimum length of 4 characters is insufficient, and there are no checks for complexity or common passwords.

How to Implement Strong Password Policies

To enforce stronger password policies, Laravel provides a built-in Password validation rule. Here’s how you can update your code:

use Illuminate\Validation\Rules\Password;

public function register(Request $request) {
    $validatedData = $request->validate([
        'email' => 'required|email',
        'password' => [
            'required',
            'confirmed', // Ensures password confirmation
            Password::min(8) // Minimum 8 characters
                ->mixedCase() // Requires uppercase and lowercase
                ->letters() // Requires letters
                ->numbers() // Requires numbers
                ->symbols(), // Requires symbols
        ],
    ]);
    User::create([
        'email' => $validatedData['email'],
        'password' => bcrypt($validatedData['password']),
    ]);
    return response()->json(['message' => 'User registered successfully!']);
}

Use Our Free Security Tool

Before deploying, it’s essential to test your website’s security. Use our free Website Security Checker tool to identify vulnerabilities.

Screenshot of the free tools webpage where you can access security assessment tools.

Common Practices to Avoid Weak Passwords

1. Enforce Password Expiry: Regularly prompt users to change passwords.
2. Restrict Common Passwords: Disallow common or breached passwords using services like Have I Been Pwned.
3. Enable Multi-Factor Authentication (MFA): Add an extra layer of security.

Here’s a Laravel implementation to check against a list of common passwords:

use Illuminate\Support\Facades\Validator;

$commonPasswords = ['123456', 'password', 'qwerty'];
$validator = Validator::make($request->all(), [
    'password' => ['required', function ($attribute, $value, $fail) use ($commonPasswords) {
        if (in_array($value, $commonPasswords)) {
            $fail('The :attribute is too common.');
        }
    }],
]);
if ($validator->fails()) {
    return response()->json(['errors' => $validator->errors()]);
}

Review Your Results

After strengthening your password policies, validate your application with a website vulnerability assessment. Here’s an example of a vulnerability assessment report generated by our free tool:

An example of a vulnerability assessment report generated with our free tool provides insights into possible vulnerabilities.

Conclusion

Weak password policies in Laravel can expose your application to attacks. By implementing Laravel’s robust validation rules and using our tools to test website security free, you can mitigate these risks effectively.

Ready to ensure your website is secure? Check it now with our Website Security Checker.